2020 final roundup/update…
Caveats/opening points:
1) This list is just a reflection of my personal experience and preferences—it is by no means meant to be an objective appraisal of any IEMs’ value or worth.
2) What I am after, with the listening experience, is emotional involvement. All other factors-- technical proficiency, perceived tonal accuracy, neutrality etc.-- are secondary for me. That’s not to say that those factors don’t play a role—but for me they are simply the means to the desired end of emotional engagement.
3) Different brands each seem to have a distinct “house sound” or general tuning philosophy that resonates with different people in different ways. To use an analogy, I enjoy both Star Trek and Star Wars, but Star Wars strikes a deeper chord with me…not because it’s any better than Star Trek, but because it resonates more with me internally. I similarly connect with Campfire Audio IEMs in a way that I just don’t, or haven’t yet with, say, any 64 Audio IEMs I have heard. This does not mean I think Campfire is objectively “better”-- I just that happen to vibe more with their products and general aesthetic. I know there are many for whom the reverse is true however, as they say, YMMV.
4) The more time I spend in this hobby and the more IEMs I hear the less I feel inclined to break an IEM down into its constitutent parts—bass, mids, treble, technicalities etc. More important to me than individual factors are how they all play together and coalesce into the overall gestalt of an IEM’s presentation. For example, on paper the Elysium’s bass seems like a deal breaker…but in the context of the signature on the whole it’s absolutely perfect and, in retrospect, somewhat revolutionary.
Heavenly Tier-- The best I have tried.
1) Vision Ears Elysium => The Vision Ears Elysium has, in a very short time, totally and completely won me over. The mid-centric presentation with its subdued bass was a bit weird at first, especially after days of rapid fire jumps from the MEST to the Andro to the Solaris…but once I upped the gain on my n6ii and just sat back and let the Ely do its thing it wasn’t long before I was swept up in its beautiful textures and gentle nuances. The bass (or comparative lack thereof) was a bit jarring at first but once I forgot about trying to break things into pieces and isolate and compare and instead focused on the signature as a unity I found myself immersed in a blissful and beautiful world of sound-- I’ve thrown pretty much every kind of music I can think of at it – including lots of EDM, d&b other bass heavy stuff and, while often different than what I am used to, the Ely brings enough of its charm to the fore that, instead of lamenting change I find myself instead finding new things to love about old favorites. The Elysium is the first IEM I’ve heard that sounds a tier above everything else I’ve heard and it’s the first IEM I have heard that constitutes a clear and decisive upgrade from the Andromeda 2020 at doing what I value most in an IEM, namely its ability to connect and engage me emotionally with what I am listening to within a precisely laid out 3-d headspace. At first Elysium’s driver configuration struck me as crazy. Now I regard it as a brilliant act of vision and daring that was perfectly executed. More detailed impressions
here.
Elite Tier-- the "I could live with one of these as my only IEM" tier
2)
Campfire Audio Solaris SE/OG => Balanced and highly engaging all-rounder with solid technicalities across the board and a wonderful natural timbre. For much of the last two years this has been my standard bearer—until the Elysium came into my life. Through the right source (the PAW S1, for example) they are positively magical and hold their own with the Elysium surprisingly well. There are other IEMs that excel them at certain things but I haven’t found anything that does “everything” as well to my ears. I’ve never crossed the $3K threshold either yet, so there’s that. The SE and OG are way more similar than different to my ears. The SE feels like a slightly refined and polished OG with some more presence in the mids and as well as mildly improved technicalities and dynamics across the spectrum.
Here is my OG Solaris review and here is a
4-way shootout I did with the SE Solaris, VE8, u12t and Legend X.
3)
Campfire Audio Andromeda MW10 => After an impressive leap out of the gate and a couple hours of a/b’ing I came to the conclusion that the MW10 is basically a Solaris SE minus the DD. Ultimately I can't say for sure if the MW10's completely capturing my heart in the few hours after I got them is due to how much I've missed the "Andro sound" since selling my 2020 vs. whatever "secret sauce" the MW10 may have over other versions of the Andromeda...but wow they are utterly captivating to listen to. I rank them just slightly below the Solaris for reasons of personal preference, and that on the whole I find the Solaris to be essentially a refined and evolved Andromeda. Sadly I never got to compare the MW10 and 2020 directly but my gut is that that same tweaks and polishes that were brought to the Solaris SE also found themselves in the 2020. Interestingly the MW10 holds the same ceramic tuning chamber that, alone of the Solaris variants, the SE has inside it.
4)
Campfire Andromeda 2020/Vision Ears VE8 => These comprise much of the essential DNA of my #2, but a little more coherent and minus the dynamic bass. The Andromeda is probably the most instantly accessible, easily likeable IEM I've heard and I can see why it remains
the de-facto reference IEM for many even after all these years. Prior to owning the MW10 I would have said that I still prefer the Solaris overall as the dynamic low end and more "in your face" staging is more to my liking. However for someone looking for a "do everything" IEM that is immersive, inoffensive, and engaging it's hard to think of a better recommendation than the Andromeda...it puts many, much more expensive IEMs to shame
The VE8 evokes a similar emotional response to the Andromeda and differs a wee bit in that they sacrifice a bit of space between notes/instruments for a lusher, slightly thicker sound. I could be happy with either of these ultimately, but the air and spaciousness of the Andro sound may win the day for me in a pinch.
5)
Unique Melody MEST => Addicting sub-bass, peerless staging and technicalities relative to what I have heard, and an airy top end sparkle. Ultimately they are a little more "v-shaped" than I like and on the whole I prefer the more forward and organic mids and balanced sound of IEMs like the Andromeda and Solaris. The MEST can be absolutely spell-binding to listen to with its insane technical response, but behind the pyrotechnics and flash, it doesn’t quite draw me in emotionally like the first 4 on this list do.
Here is a 3-way comparison I did with the MEST, Andromeda and Solaris SE.
Excellence Tier-- the "each of these do something better than anything else in its class but ultimately don't work as well for me as an all rounder" tier.
6)
Empire Ears Legend X => Bass cannon of the gods...peerless with genres like hip-hop and live funk, but not really an all-rounder-- the bass suffocates me as often as it rocks my world. In a sense the most notable thing about the Legend X is its midrange, specifically how it manages to be so present, bodied and detailed despite the insane bass. If you could get LX mids in something like the MEST the very earth might crack open due to the abundance of power and greatness that would generate. Please don’t tell me that’s what the Odin is as I have no plans (or means) to go there.
7)
QDC Anole VX => My favorite bass from a BA set...a little fatiguing in the upper mids/lower treble...but that's its only real drawback. Superbly detailed, resolving vibrant and (imho) highly engaging for the most part, though it can at times sound a little too analytic and sterile.
8)
64 Audio u12t => I understand the love for these but I can't relate to it. They’re technically very proficient, tonally very safe...but ultimately not very exciting (to me). I once likened the u12t and Andromeda to the "mars and venus" of IEMs...and I stand by this to some extent. Listening to the u12t is intellectually stimulating-- it lays bare and presents accurately all the elements of whatever you're listening to, is gloriously detailed, and tonally capavble...but it all kind of falls flat for me and fails to evoke an emotional response. Conversely the Andromeda never fails to sweep me off my feet every time I listen to it. The u12t gets respect because it's great at what it does, but it's not for me.
9)
Sony IER Z1R => Delicious bass but imho not quite tight enough or worth the sacrifice to the lower mids. Signature wowed me at first but on the whole I found it a little fatiguing and disjointed between the highs and lows.
10)
Campfire Audio Atlas => Loads of fun but treble can be intense at times and didn't really succeed as an all-rounder for me. As this list indicates pretty much everything I’ve owned since has bettered it.
